KTM's David Knight took his revenge on fellow KTM factory rider Taddy Blazusiak at the weekend taking a victorious fourth edition of the extreme Enduro Sprint Scramble rightly named "The Tough One".
Blazusiak, who stole victory from the Manxman at the legendary Last Man Standing in the USA in the closing stages of 2007 was second at this challenging event held in the at Nantmawr Quarry near Oswestry (Shropshire U.K.). The stage is now set for a great rematch between these two talented riders at their next mutual encounter.
More tempting challengesOrganizers slipped a few more features into this year's challenge and along with the quarry terrain, riders were confronted with more log sections, lorry beds, definitely more rocks and hills and downhill sections described as "just plain scary". Adding to the attractiveness of the event, spectators who braved the weather and the mud got to see more of their heroes on the circuit because entry was limited to 50 riders.
Knighter leads at first lapKnighter got away well in the first lap followed by Wayne Braybrook and Taddy in fourth place, setting the stage for the rest of the event, which started one hour earlier than previous years. Darkness closed in at 5.00 p.m. leaving the masters of extreme Enduro to negotiate their way through the closing stages with the aid of bike and helmet lights.
But Knight, fresh from GNCC successes in the USA was determined to hold onto The Tough One title and had no trouble walking away with the prize money and congratulations from teammate Taddy, who finished second. Extreme specialist and former Hells Gate winner Braybrook was third.
David Knight“It’s great to start the year with a win, and to continue my unbeaten run at The Tough One. I’ve been working hard since Christmas, and have probably ridden more than I did all of last year, so I knew I was ready for the race. A lot of people have been quick to shoot me down because of a few disappointing results at the end of last year. I wanted to win to show them that I’m ready for ’08.
“I was pretty relaxed fitting my wheel at the start, although I knew a good start would help I wasn’t too worried about getting away first. It took a bit of a gamble using a trials tyre but it worked out ok. I wouldn’t say it was a huge amount better than an enduro tyre but in a few places it was really good, like when I had to change line to get around someone.
“I got held up behind Wayne Braybrook a bit off the start but it didn’t take too long to get past him and the few Expert riders that were ahead of me. I pushed on hard to try and make the most of the clear track. When Michael Brown caught me on the trials bike I wasn’t going to give up without a fight and ended up colliding with him. I knew there was no way I could keep up with a trials bike out there so I just tried to stay ahead of him for as long as I could. It was good having him in the race. I’m pleased he got the £1000 for leading at the end of the first hour but it was right that he wasn’t allowed to finish the race – it’s so much easier on a trials bike and The Tough One is an event for enduro bikes, that’s what makes it tough.
“I just tried to build up as big a lead as I could after the hour and then backed it down a bit, just to make sure nothing stupid happened. There were a lot of places where you could make mistakes so I went for safer lines. Early on in the race I went over the bars crossing the tyres. I got mud all over my gloves, which made things tricky for a while.
“I’ve been training and working hard in since Christmas so to win shows that things are hopefully on track for a good season. I want to get the Indoor Enduro World Cup wrapped up in a couple of weeks and then focus 100 per cent on my preparations for the US GNCC series. It’s getting harder and harder for me to do occasional extreme races now that my main goal is the GNCC championship, but it’s great to have won.”
Images - KTM - Edmunds J.
